Civil War: Running Home
by Black' Victor Cachat
Summary: After the AoU, Natasha and Bruce got back together and kept on running. But with the rise of the Civil War, they are called back into service. For while Ross still wants to dissect Bruce, Tony is still Bruce's Science Bro and knows his friend needs him.


For better or worse, I do not own any Marvel franchise.

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Many thanks to KaydenceRei, theicemenace, and especially AutumnFroste for helping me write this. Cover image courtesy of the artistic genius of KaydenceRei.

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Brand new Brutasha community that may interest readers:

community/HulkXBlack-Widow-Brutasha/126078/

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Civil War: Running Home

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Unknown Location

"Hrrm?"

"Hmrm?"

"Mrrm," Bruce Banner grunted while Natasha rolled over in bed to pick up the ringing bedside phone. "What!?" she hissed, promising pain and violence.

"…Sorry, it's after dawn where you are, and I thought you'd already be awake," the voice of Nick Fury answered. He did not sound sorry, or really surprised, but frankly that just made the ex-Black Widow more annoyed. The fact that Bruce had rolled over and was sleepily cuddling against her, and she was too busy focusing on the phone call to enjoy it, did not help.

"We had a late-night movie marathon," she growled.

"Have you been keeping track of the news?" now the former SHIELD Director sounded disapproving.

"Anything in particular?"

"Bucky Barnes, a.k.a. the Winter Soldier has been accused of a massive terrorist attack against the UN, for the signing of the Sokovia Accords at that."

Natasha pinched her brow, "E-mail us what you've got."

"There's something else."  
"What?"

"Pepper Potts has left Stark."

Natasha blinked, and then reached over to poke her boyfriend awake. Time was of the essence. The most unstable member of the Avengers –in her mind— had just lost his last and most reliable source of stability.

 **XXX**

Avenger's Headquarters

Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross took another look around the table at the Avengers, "Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now? 'Cause you can bet if I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton warheads, there'd be consequences. Not to mention Romanoff and all the secrets and skills she carries."

No one looked at the older man, but he failed to realize that it was more to keep him from realizing the truth: they had a pretty good idea where Romanoff and Banner were. Alright, not specifically, but they all knew they were together. Probably watching a movie. They did not really want to speculate much further than that.

And Thor was probably back home, which was a sovereign state in its own right.

 **XXX**

Berlin, Germany

Tony Stark took a moment to compose himself, everything had been going so well with Steve, and they had both been actually sitting down and _talking_ , when Tony said the wrong thing. _He knows Wanda's dangerous, but he just refuses to accept how much people fear her. Protective custody is for her own good! I don't like it, I know she's a hero now, but it's still for the best!_ Frankly, the fact that people could not accept what she had done in Nigeria, saving dozens of people from a bio-weapon while accidently killing about twenty people, including Wakandans, was a crime in itself. "What do I do to keep us together?" he wondered.

Then someone's voice broke into his thoughts. "Boss?" FRIDAY said, "I've got Bruce Banner trying to call you on that private line. Should I put him through?"

He froze, but then started walking somewhere more secluded, yanking out his phone and answering as fast as he could. "Where are you, buddy?" Tony asked with more than a little desperation. He _really_ needed a friend to talk to.

"Out of sight of Ross, but not too far. Want to talk in person," Bruce offered. He was good at disappearing from sight, but covert infiltrations were more Natasha's thing.

"There's two Rosses in our life now, though I guess you mean the general who used to hunt you for kicks."  
"That would be him, here's where I'm at."

 **XXX**

"You know," Tony said as he sat down on the couch, taking the beer from Bruce, "the postcards were nice, but I really wish you'd stayed."

Dr. Bruce Banner shrugged in apology, "Sorry, but Natasha and I couldn't stay anymore, the pressure of it all, we just…" and he trailed off, but Tony nodded in understanding. Goodness knows, he wanted to do it more than once, and Bruce's problems were literally skin deep. The Hulk had taken off after Ultron was beaten, but shortly afterwards, about a month, Romanoff had disappeared as well. All that had been left was a note saying she had been in contact with Bruce, and that the two of them had decided to "run with it."

"Yeah, I get it. Any chance of you signing on with the Accords?"

Bruce, bless his heart, was the kindest and politest guy Tony knew, but the look he gave spoke volumes with on what Ross could do with his precious "regulation" and "oversight." The fact that Ross had pointedly asked where Bruce was, made Tony concede that his friend might have a point. After a beat, the scientist cleared his throat, "The reason I ran away in the beginning is the same reason you wouldn't give up your suits to the government, even before we learned that senator was HYDRA: we didn't trust the people in charge. In your case, you only trusted yourself, and I can only trust myself, with the Hulk inside, when I have Natasha with me."

"So you're against it? Just to have it as a clear 'yes' or 'no,' just to be clear," Tony bit out before raising his hand in apology. "Sorry, not you, just frustrated with myself. And Rogers. And life."

"Well," Bruce smiled, "you've got a couch, why not lay back and tell me about it?"

"Promise you won't fall asleep this time?"

 **XXX**

The former ex-Black Widow calmly made her way through the facility where they were holding Barnes. The man would be the flashpoint for all this, pushing Steve's emotions all over the place, along with others. _Wakandan Intelligence already has the computer network riddled with worms_ , she noted on her pad. "If Barnes isn't behind all this, then whoever it is has to keep the pressure up somehow," and with that, disguised as a blonde, blue-eyed woman, she made her way through the building, covertly looking for cameras and any sign of Steve, the only man who might see through her disguise.

 **XXX**

"Wait," Bruce interrupted, "you're telling me that a complete stranger, found you on an outing, alone and vulnerable, and threw all this at you? About her dead kid?"

"I wasn't vulnerable," Tony stiffly rebutted. "And that isn't the point! The point is—"

"Tony!" Bruce snapped, making the man stop in surprise, "Tony, where was Happy during all this?"

"Uhm, well."

"You know, Happy Hogan, your bodyguard, the guy who's been there for you all these years. Supposed to run interference, especially if it's an assassin and not a grieving mother?"

"Now see, I've told you before, he's Chief of Security now at…" Tony trailed off at the look Bruce was giving him. "Yes, you've got something to say?"

After a moment, Bruce leaned back, massaging his forehead, _Not just no Pepper, but he also managed to push Happy away, leaving him with just the robots and AIs for company. I should never have left. Should never have left him on his own. This is on me there._ He took a deep breath, "Would you mind if Natasha and I moved in with you for a while? With all that's happening, it's probably best if we're all close at hand. Ross probably has eyes and ears on the HQ, but I bet we can make it work at Stark Tower."

"Sure, great!" Tony agreed, trying to hide how happy he felt, even if he was a little suspicious as to his friend's motivations. "But he doesn't. Have eyes and ears." Then he paused, "Or shouldn't at least."

"It's Ross, Tony," Bruce firmly informed him. "If he's willing to launch armed assaults on populated university campuses while just a General, during the daytime even, and authorize untested super-soldier experiments on people he's just met, then he'd be willing to do even more with the power he's now got."

"…what was that about super-soldiers?"

 **XXX**

Natasha's face remained bored and detached, but her mind was scrambling over what she had just seen. The unassuming man she had just passed was supposedly the person who would be interviewing Barnes to confirm if he was a threat or not, guilty or not, or sane enough to be held responsible for his actions.

But he was sending off warning bells through her head.

The light way that he walked so that he would be able to instantly react to something, the way his eyes took in his surroundings, how he held his arms, and at least nine other cues. _The only counselors_ I've _ever met like that, were agents in disguise. In fact, I even did that once._

There was no proof however, except the word of an ex-assassin that whoever was approaching Barnes, had the posture and pacing of an experienced killer and fighter. What was worse was how subtle it was, meaning whoever the otherwise harmless looking person was, he was very skilled, and almost entirely hiding the warning signs, even she had nearly missed it.

 _And he's about to be left alone with Barnes!_

 **XXX**

Steve absently answered his ringing cell phone, "Steve!" Romanoff's voice blared out, "Get to someone important, and have them run a background check on the psychiatrist, Theo Broussard! Thorough as you can! Make sure that's really him! Postpone the interview if possible!"

 **XXX**

"Boss!" FRIDAY's voice sang in Tony's implant, "Romanoff's got something, and it's not good!"

 **XXX**

King T'Challa was already moving, having been alerted by his operatives that the Avengers were suddenly concerned and running a secondary background check, _Roger's is claiming that someone is somehow impersonating the psychologist. How? Is this some plan of his to move Barnes elsewhere?_ He immediately started walking towards the quickest route to the prison complex, _I_ will _have justice for you, Father!_

 **XXX**

"Weapons down! Weapons down! Everyone! Now!" Everett Ross snapped at all the assembled soldiers who reluctantly lowered their guns as they listened to the voice of sanity.

"Alright, and what about you, Green Machine?" Tony put in.

The Hulk was sitting on the ground, a dazed Bucky Barnes in one hand, and King T'Challa in the other.

"Is this really what happens whenever we leave you guys alone?" Natasha asked as she sauntered up.

"Ah, Widow, think you could get him to let them go?" Tony asked.

She glanced at the expression on the Hulk's face and shook her head, "Not worth it. Frankly it seems like everything's perfectly fine as it is."  
"Fine?!" Steve snapped. "The Hulk's got Bucky in a death grip!"

"He's still breathing," she said dismissively. "Plus, he can't hurt anyone else like this."  
"That wasn't his fault," Wilson broke in. "You were right, something's up with the psychiatrist. But he got away."

"Yes, well," Everett Ross added, "we've definitely got to look into that, but Mr. Barnes still forcefully broke out of containment!"

"And didn't kill anyone," Natasha pointed out, with a tilt of her head and slight movement of her eyebrow that held the man's attention. "In fact, not only do all the guards only have concussions," glossing over all the other injuries probably incurred, "but it's my understanding that the police who first tried to arrest him in his apartment were only left with bruises and mild head injuries, despite how they were shooting to kill and their target could have killed them with a single punch." again, an assumption on her part, but if there were dead bodies then Steve would be acting differently. "Yet even back when he was off fighting Nazis, he was fully trained to kill someone with his bare hands. Does that really sound like a guilty man to you? One who callously carried out that bombing?"

The tension started to ease at that, and then, "If you're not going to kill me," Barnes got out, "then lock me up. So I don't hurt anyone. Otherwise he, or something else, might activate me again. Lock me up!" he hissed, eyes pleading at Steve.

 **XXX**

"He is just lying to save his life!" T'Challa snapped as he argued with the Avengers. "To let him live is criminal, but to risk letting him loose!?"

"Don't worry, I've got an idea," Natasha said as she cheerfully re-entered the conference room.

" _When did she leave?_ " Steve wondered, and then tensed at the next part, "But Steve's not going to like it, especially since Barnes already agreed."

 **XXX**

"So, just to be clear, you voluntarily enter Wakandan custody, and accept that they're going to put an explosive collar around your neck?" T'Challa formally asked.

"Just so long as you hold off pressing the detonator until I've proven myself," Bucky calmly answered. Locked outside of the cell where this was taking place, Steve was still visibly yelling at the Black Widow for bringing up the idea.

"Hey! Save it people!" Clint yelled as he popped his head into the room, "We've gotta pull out before Ross, the Ross with the bad attitude, gets here!"

"I'm surprised he hasn't already arrived," Vision commented.

"Catastrophic engine failure," the male ex-assassin volunteered.

"Along with some communication problems," Natasha, the other ex-assassin, added.

"FRIDAY, did she hack you again?" an annoyed Tony, suited up as Iron Man, asked.

"I don't know, sir."  
"That means yes."

 **XXX**

The situation on the Quinjet was beyond awkward for Wanda.

Dr. Banner was pointedly ignoring her, and Romanoff was berating Steve for "inadequately training" Wanda, acting like a fool in general, and for his failure to keep abreast of how the international community was reacting to the Avengers. Specifically his inability to be politically aware enough to see the Sokovia Accords coming, despite his experience with SHIELD and HYDRA. Then she returned to Wanda's lack of preparedness. Clint was mostly staying silent, but had thrown in a few things in Wanda's favour.

"Well maybe you should have stayed behind to train her!" War Machine finally threw in. "Instead, you've been gallivanting around on some honeymoon! Do you know how badly we could've used you guys on some of those missions!? Like when chasing Rumlow!?"

"You weren't there either, man," Falcon pointed out, "and they earned their break."

Scott Lang and Peter Parker were standing in the back, watching the "parents" bicker amongst themselves.

"Not what I expected," Spider-Man whispered, a little too loudly, to Ant-Man when he leaned over.

"Same here."

 **XXX**

Siberia

"Did you know?" Tony coldly demanded after watching the film of Barnes killing his parents –his mother! — in cold blood.

"I didn't—" Steve began.

"Who else would they send?" Natasha softly broke in. "Not just to get the job done, but to twist the knife in even deeper? To hurt _all_ the victims, even Barnes."

Now Tony's glare was fully on her, "You knew before this even began what was happening."  
"I've spent the last two years trying to prove if he did or not," she said while shaking her head, but deep inside she had always known. Just like Steve, but if he was not going to touch the issue, then she had no right herself.

A moment.

Then Iron Man's arm snapped up to shoot the Winter Soldier, but stopped.

Dr. Bruce Banner was standing in the way.

"What about me? Would you kill me for everything the Hulk's done? You always said I couldn't be held responsible, because it wasn't me doing it. But neither did Barnes."

"You saw his face," Natasha threw in. "It wasn't indifference, it wasn't that their lives didn't matter, because I know what that's like. I've seen what that looks like. There, right there," she said as she pointed to the frozen image on-screen, "there wasn't even anyone home to even have feelings."

"So would you've cared if you'd done it then!?" Tony spat, but then a metal hand rested on his arm.

"Easy man," Rhodes warned, making Tony shakily try to take deep breaths.

"Been there with mind control myself," and now Clint stepped up beside Bruce, "if you're going to kill him, you should kill me too for what I did in Stuttgart, and then on the Helicarrier.

"This is what Zemo wants, you know," Bruce said. "Just like with Loki, he wants us fighting each other." Natasha saw the Black Panther slip out of the room, but kept quiet.

Roaring with pain and rage, Tony twitched his hand to the right and fired at the wall behind the Soldier, and marched off to a wall to begin hammering it with iron fists.

 **XXX**

Later, they all sat around the Siberian base, with Bucky off to the side and out of Tony's sight.

"This isn't over, you know," the bitter industrialist finally got out. "I'm sorry, but given what's happened, and what almost happened, we need some form of oversight more than ever. Because the Sokovia Accord's aren't going away, no matter how much we wish it."

There was a moment of silence, then Natasha stood while pulling her boyfriend up alongside her. "Then that's what Bruce and I will do."

"Pardon?" a confused Steve asked as everyone turned to look at the couple.

"Steve? Stay with the Avengers. Do what you can to make it work, but from the inside. You've got decades of publicity working for you. You're worried about the Avengers being the tools of the politicians? That they won't respond to threats in time, that they'll decide who the villains are and send you out as their private attack dogs? Even if that means doing stuff that you've no right to do? Fine, but first give them a chance. See if you can make it work still. Bruce and I'll handle the rest, but more importantly, we'll be there if the governments try to take it too far."

"What exactly are you saying?" Rhodes asked with naked suspicion.

"Oh, nothing," Natasha reassured him with a smile that would have charmed birds out of a tree. "In fact, if Ross or anyone else happens to ask, Bruce and I are just going back into retirement. And taking Wanda with us."

"What?" the woman in question began, before stopping to think.

"It's true that if Wanda was no longer with the Avengers, then they would be unable to arrest her unless she publicly used her powers again," Vision hesitantly agreed. "But if she disappears, they'll become even more afraid of her. She'll be hunted." He turned to look at Wanda beseechingly, "You'll be hunted."  
Wanda was silent for a moment, remembering what she had talked to Clint about earlier, "I can't control their fear, Vision. Only my own. I'm going."

"Now wait a second!" Rhodes began.

"It's work with the oversight committee or retire," Bruce interrupted, catching on to what Natasha was planning. "Well, we retire. I retire. And while they _might_ want to keep an eye on people like us, as long as we're not doing anything they have no legal reason to. I read the Accords after all."

"He's right, Boss," FRIDAY chimed in to an emotional exhausted Tony, who was struggling to keep up.

"We'll just be keeping a closer eye on the news and hope the Avengers, under the direction of the UN, don't do anything," and here he threw Tony and Steve a meaningful glance, "hasty."

"Of course, it we're really curious," Natasha sweetly added, "we'll be keeping an even closer eye than that," and more than one Avenger twitched at the Black Widow's implied threat, but Steve's gaze only sharpened.

"And what if we're ordered to do something we disagree with?" he asked. "Intervening where we have no right to do so?"

"Then we'll come and stop you, before you're forced to compromise yourselves," she swore, and Bruce gave an affirming nod. "Just stay down after we punch you."

War Machine was about to hotly throw something in at the super-spy's words, when Spider-Man spoke up, "So you mean you'll be like some shadowy group keeping the Avengers in check? Watching the Watchers? Awesome! Can I join!?"

All the adults looked at him, and then turned to glare at a sheepish Tony. "Yeeeah, kid, don't worry about it. In fact, you're going back home to school."

"But!"

"When you're a bit older, it'll be more okay," Captain America added, his aura of authority quashing the teenager's protests. "Sir, yes, sir!" Spider-Man enthusiastically answered. Tony just stared at the kid for a moment, before lowering his head. Not worth getting worked-up about.

 **XXX**

"So it's an ultimatum then!" Secretary Ross ground out.

"Not at all," Pepper Potts serenely disagreed. Tony was back home with a bunch of sleeping pills in him, since FRIDAY had ratted him out by saying when the last time he had slept. Bruce and Natasha had stopped by long enough to have some words with her and Tony about their relationship, and things were working out better now. The fact that the billionaire would be entering into politics to help manage the civilian oversight was one alternative to being a superhero that he could accept. Keeping the Avengers from being abused after all.

"You told the Avengers that if they wanted to continue to be active, they would have to sign up, or retire," she repeated. "After some consideration, some agreed to do so. But if an emergency comes up, one that their friends are unable, or _forbidden_ , to help with," and now Pepper shrugged her shoulders with a guileless smile, "then as good citizens they will intervene to save lives."

"And then afterwards they'll be hunted and imprisoned as criminals!" Ross promised.

"Good luck with that," Pepper advised.

"Don't give me that! Those precious heroes have just gone underground! They're vigilantes now! With someone as dangerous as Banner! And Maximoff! Who knows what they'll do next?"

"I guess for now we'll just have to rely on trust, just like the Avengers are now putting their trust in the UN," Pepper parried, thinking of all the ad campaigns and lobbyists that Stark Industries was now hiring to regain popular support. "But again, they're being led by Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff. You won't find them unless they want to be found."

"And who knows what crimes they're committing right now!?" Ross sneered.

 **XXX**

Wet and exhausted, Wanda collapsed down into a chair to rest.

"So what's the point of this training again?" she asked straight-faced.

"Balance, reflexes, and I dunno, some other stuff," Clint answered offhandedly as he offered her some chilled pop, before looking over at the others.

"So who's up for some more waterskiing?"

"Me! Me! Me!" Cooper and Lila cried out as the jumped up and down.

Sipping her drink and smiling, Wanda looked over at Laura Barton, "I never realized being part of an oversight committee could be so relaxing."

"It all depends on who's running it," the older woman reassured her while shifting a sleeping Nathaniel in her arms.

"Don't think we're not still doing morning runs and self-defense classes," Clint threw in.

Cutting herself off from saying "Yes, Dad," Wanda just gave a small smile.

 **XXX**

Scott Lang smiled as he watched his daughter Cassie play with her friends on the playground, her step-dad sitting beside him on the bench. "So how's retirement?" Jim Paxton asked with a knowing smirk.

Twitching his lips so it was more self-satisfied, Scott gave a few light nods, "Pretty good. Still doing a few odds and ends to keep busy, but all good. Boss was a tad cranky with me, but I think I'm back in his good graces," Hank Pym had _not_ been happy that Stark had learnt about the newest advancements in using Pym Particles, "and the world's still intact. Everything's good."

"And they know how to get ahold of you if anything happens," Paxton added offhandedly.

"Only a few of them," Scott corrected, thinking of Falcon, only looking smugger.

Then his phone rang, "Dad's got another mission for us," Hope's voice told him.

"Be on my way," he promised, "just after Cassie's done at the park."

"Just make sure it's before dark," she teased and hung up.

 **XXX**

Wakanda

King T'Challa smiled as Bucky Barnes was placed into the hibernation pod, Steve Rogers standing beside him, holding the red book that Zemo had brought with him to Siberia after activating the Winter Soldier in Berlin, doubtless to help fool everyone into thinking he was going to activate the rest of HYDRA's super-soldiers. "Hopefully this'll help us figure out everything we need to stop anymore programing from being activated."  
"It's likely the book itself is a trigger, otherwise Zemo could have just memorized the words," T'Challa speculated.

"Still, thank you for this."  
"It's the least I can do," the king reassured him, "I would have killed an innocent man if not for the actions of you and your friends." Zemo was now in custody, and Bucky was being given the help he needed. The offer of amnesty of by Wakanda, and citizenship with all the protections that entailed, had dampened the international outcry, but the Black Panther was resolved to do whatever it took to see this poor man be healed.

 **XXX**

Unknown Location

Having finished tending to her numerous weapons, Natasha went to Bruce's lab to make sure he had eaten lunch.

"I'm thinking of calling this: The Widow's Lair," she said as an introduction.

"Not the Web?" he rebutted, looking up from SHIELD's notes about some Enhanced they had encountered.

"Hmm, that might work. After all, the name of the secret lab in the secret hideout for a super-spy and super-scientist has to be subtle enough to give the right touch of ominous," she corrected with a smirk.

"I think you meant 'mad scientist,' but I know better to argue with you," he joked.

"About that you do," she warned, her tone serious, but dropped the subject. "Everything going okay?" she asked, noting the plate and remnants of a recent meal beside him.

"Yeah, don't worry, everything's going fine," and Bruce gestured at the experiment in the background, giving off a green glow that was somehow warm and soothing. "But how long until they start hunting for us?"

Natasha shrugged, "As long as we're careful, we should be fine. What we've really got to worry about is someone trying to send the Avengers to the Middle East, probably claiming that they're only acting as 'peacekeepers' or 'pacifying rogue elements,' justifying whatever happens next. Hopefully the threat of us getting involved will keep that from happening though."

"Should be interesting when Thor gets back though," Bruce mused as he took off his glasses. "Given how he's a foreign royal after all."

"We've done all we can for now," she reminded him, intertwining their fingers. "All that's left is trusting that Steve and Tony, and Pepper, can make it work. If all else fails, we'll do our part to make sure there's a future, for all of us."

At the center of the green light, there was a tank of liquid, and within that, a small child began to take form.

 **XXX**

 **Author Notes:  
The part in "Civil War" where we learned that Pepper had left Tony was when I knew that this was definitely all going to go downhill fast. I mean, sure from the trailers it was pretty clear, but at that point I knew it. Especially given all those lovable fics written before the movie was released where she solves everything via a few simple phone calls and berating Tony.**

 **Stuttgart is in Germany and is where Loki made his grand reveal to humanity, while acting as a distraction for Clint to steal the Iridium.**

 **Stuff with Wanda and Clint inspired by "Dad" by Jesuslovesmarina.**

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